Fiction | Illustrated

Danielle Just Had To Yell

A story for those dealing with the extremely loud.

This is Danielle. I mean, this is how Danielle used to look. Happy. She was a three-year-old who understood EVERYTHING in the world.

Until the world changed. And her world did change the moment she found out her Mom was going to have another baby.

It’s hard being happy when you no longer understand EVERYTHING in the world.

Danielle’s Dad set a whole bunch of presents down on the table. But her Mom told her she could not open them. They were for the baby.

This—Danielle did not understand.

All Danielle heard her Mom and Dad talk about was this new baby.

Baby talk. Baby talk. Baby talk. There was never any Danielle talk.

She wondered where they were going to put this new baby. That’s when Danielle had a scary thought. What if they put the baby in her room? Poor Danielle would have to move!

Why were her parents trying to replace her? What had she done wrong?

Danielle was trying to remember what she had done, when suddenly, she made a brilliant discovery.

Danielle stubbed her toe. And well . . . she just had to yell.

She yelled so loud, her Mom and Dad came running!

Her Dad bent down and gently rubbed her foot.

“Shhhhhh . . . you’re going to be all right. I’m here for you. There’s no reason to yell now.”

Then Danielle’s Mom and Dad gave her great big hugs.

Danielle loved to be hugged. And if she had to yell for a hug, that was okay with her.

But her Mom and Dad got tired of her yelling. They even stopped hugging her when she yelled.

It was time to try something different.

She closed her eyes and ran through the house yelling and slammed right into the coffee table. Well, that’s not what she was hoping for.

Danielle was going to have to try something EVEN MORE DIFFERENT.

When Danielle’s Mom took her to the mall, she yelled at the lady behind the counter of Aunt Bity’s Cookie Jar. The Lady handed Danielle a free Bity Fudge Whapper.

Danielle’s EVEN MORE DIFFERENT idea had worked!

Danielle loved her Bity Fudge Whapper. So she decided to try another yell.

Her Mom was busy buying stuff for the new baby. She wasn’t paying any attention to her. So Danielle walked out into the open mall and let out a yell.

Well . . . everyone turned and looked at her. A mall cop even picked her up so she could see over the top of all the people.

She saw her Mom dropping packages and running toward her.

It was a new world. And Danielle understood only one thing in this world. Danielle understood yelling.

That night at the dinner table, Danielle’s Mom and Dad were very sad. They were sad because Danielle was yelling again.

“I’m not hungry, I’m not hungry, I’m not hungry . . . I want a Bity Fudge Whapper!” yelled Danielle.

Danielle could not hear what anyone else was saying when she yelled. And this was too bad, because her Mom and Dad were trying to tell her that they loved her.

Danielle did not hear anything for a long time—except for herself. Because her world was full of only one thing.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLING!

Maybe, if she yelled loud enough, Danielle thought, someone on Mars might pay attention to her.

At the library, Danielle took a deep breath. She hated all the books. Books were too quiet.

It was time for noise.

When Danielle went to the movie, she noticed everyone was watching the movie, and no one was watching her.

She changed all this with one simple yell.

At the swimming pool, all the kids were yelling. So Danielle jumped in and yelled at the people underwater.

But this was no good.

She wanted to make noise—not bubbles.

On the Fourth of July, Danielle’s parents took her to a very loud fireworks display.

But Danielle was even louder.

boomYELLboomYELLboomYELLboomYELLboomYELLboomYELLboomYELL

An old man called her a, “Regular little firecracker.”

Danielle looked up at this nice old man and yelled especially for him.

One afternoon, Danielle’s Dad took her down to the park to watch a stage play. It was the worst. The actors on stage got to yell, but everyone in the audience was supposed to be quiet.

And everyone was quiet. Except Danielle.

Danielle was acting. I mean yelling.

She yelled so loud the audience started watching her instead of the play.

That was a good one, thought Danielle. And then she wondered if, like the actors, she should have a special costume made to match her skill for yelling—her yelling talent.

On the drive home from the play, Danielle’s Dad pulled over to answer his cell phone.

Now, thought Danielle, was a good time to jump out of the car and run down the street and practice more yelling.

Cars and trucks pulled off the street because she was yelling just like a police siren.

And in case you were not already aware—Danielle could really yell.

Danielle’s Dad went running down the street and scooped her up with one arm. As he carried her to the car, he told her they had to go to the hospital right away.

It was an emergency!

“What for?” yelled Danielle. “I’m not sick.”

“I know,” said her Dad. “But I’m sick of your yelling.”

Well, Danielle did not want her Dad to be sick.

But, she just had to yell.

When they arrived at the hospital, Danielle’s Dad told her what the emergency was really about. They were going to see the new baby!

“There he is!” yelled Danielle. Danielle’s baby brother yelled back.

Her Dad bent down and said, “Now your mother and I have two kids to love.”

Two kids, thought Danielle.

And then she stopped yelling, and smiled at her Dad.

Danielle went to take a closer look. She whispered into her baby brother’s ear, “When you come home I’ll open your presents and show you how to play.”

Her baby brother just yelled.

“Shhhhhh . . . you’re going to be all right. I’m here for you. There’s no reason to yell now.”

Danielle was happy. She was a four-year-old. And once again, she understood EVERYTHING in the world.

The End

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